Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 17, April 21, 2002:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2002, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATES
We have four new subscribers this week: Gary Trudgen,
courtesy of Phil Mossman, Samuel K. (Sam) Nolt, courtesy
of Nick Graver, Jason Childers, courtesy of Nick Graver,
and Robert Gilbert. Welcome aboard! Our subscriber count
is now 468.
BELGIAN NUMISMATIC LITERATURE OFFERED
Bill Murray writes: "In Craig Whitford's auction at
the May 10-11 Michigan State Numismatic Society
convention, there are 13 Belgium numismatic literature
items, lots 2233 through 2255. Some E-Sylum readers
may be interested."
My own copy of the catalog arrived the day of Bill's
message. Whitford can be contacted at this address:
cawhitford@aol.com. A couple highlights of the
section are:
Guioth, M. Leon, "Historie numismatique de la Revolution
Belge", 2 volumes bound together, 1844, 406pp, 62pls.
(lot 2247)
Simonis, Julien, "L'art du Medailleur en Belgique" 2 vols,
Brussell & Jemappesue Meuse, 1900; 1904. 230pp,
26 pls. + 7 text plates. (lot 2251)
GEORGE T. MORGAN ESTATE OFFERING
The Whitford sale also includes several lots from the
estate of a direct descendant of U.S. Mint Chief
Engraver George T. Morgan. The consignment
features Assay Medals from the 1915-1923 period,
and a unique 1920 Pilgrim Tercentenary Half Dollar
die trial in lead.
1921 PLYMOUTH TERCENTENARY MEDALS
Coincidentally, John Merz, in reference to Dick Johnson?s
upcoming book on coin and medal artists, writes: "I have a
1921 Pilgrim half dollar with designer?s initial ?D? for Cyrus
Dallin. I also have an ?Official Souvenir Medal? dated 1921
from the Plymouth (Mass.) Tercentenary Committee,
commemorating the three hundredth anniversary of the landing
of the Pilgrims. The medal has no designer?s initial (that I can
see). Could it have also been the work of Dallin?"
Dick's reply: "To answer your specific inquiry: Cyrus Edwin
Dallin (1861-1944) DID do a 1921 Plymouth Tercentenary
Medal. But so did three other known artists (and perhaps a
couple unknown artists). And this is the reason for specialized
collections and numismatists who collect, organize, describe
and published specialized numismatic topics. Bless their
hearts!
Malcolm Storer -- the medical doctor whose father was
Horatio Storer who gathered and published the monumental
work on medical medals -- gathered, organized, described
and published the work on Massachusetts numismatic items.
His "Numismatics of Massachusetts" was published by the
Massachusetts Historical Society, 1923. [I suspect his
collection was started by his father, he inherited it, added to
it and published HIS book.]
Malcolm lists these medals for the 1920 Pilgrim Tercentennial:
Storer 1558 by G.L. Turner (struck by Reed & Barton).
Storer 1559 by the Dutch medalist Jan Pesynshof.
Storer 1560 by Cyrus E. Dallin (signed Dallin).
Storer 1561 by Julio Kilenyi (unsigned but struck and signed
by Whitehead & Hoag).
Storer 1562 and 1563. Unsigned (and probably created by
some unknown factory artists, perhaps at Blackinton or
Robbins, nearby New England medalmakers).
(Unfortunately Storer did not illustrate any of these medals.)
Fifty years later, a Massachusetts numismatist, Robert Heath,
began collecting, organizing, describing, and published his
"Commemorative Medals of New England Cities & Towns,"
beginning in 1977. His seventh Massachusetts edition (1995)
lists five of these medals (omitting the Dutch medal); and adds
one more. (His numbers: MA239-5 thru MA239-10).
Heath did not illustrate the Dallin medal, However, this medal
is illustrated in the book by Rell G. Francis "Cyrus E. Dallin;
Let Justice Be Done" as Figure 246, page 241.
I cannot identify which medal is yours from the description you
gave. Probably not Dallin since he did sign his medal. Perhaps
a search of Heath would identify your medal quickly.
Related problem: Dallin did sign his models with his last name
(he was a sculptor, not an engraver). An earlier artist on an
1883 Brooklyn Bridge Medal signed C.E.D. (same initials as
Cyrus). He was an engraver, not a sculptor. All the work of
this artist (we still do not know his identity) were struck by
J.A. Diehl of Philadelphia. [I suspect, but cannot prove,
that C.E.D. was related to Diehl.] Research continues."
ROVELSTAD ELGIN ARCHIVE
One more item on the topic of U.S. commemoratives:
The current issue of the Bowers and Merena Galleries
Rare Coin Review (#146) offers an archive of material
"relating to the 1936 Elgin commemorative half dollar:
correspondence from Gloria Rovelstad, the widow of
the sculptor, Trygve Rovelstad... Included are telegrams
from the Treasury Department, correspondence from
Trygve Rovelstad, ... relating to the commemorative half
dollar, its design, the models, and so on." (p64)
[See The E-Sylum volume 4, numbers 29 & 41 for
discussions of Rovelstad's Pioneer Family Memorial in
Elgin, IL. -Editor]
LITTLE "EXTRAS":
Dan Gosling writes "I continue to really enjoy the E-Sylum.
GOOD WORK!
Recently I purchased lot 791 in Kolbe's Sale 87 (March 22,
2002) which included Trowbridge's 1970 "Crowns of the
British Empire". I noticed a spider's web inside the cirlox
binding. On closer examination the web includes a perfectly
preserved Spider.
Does this increase the value of the book as it may be the only
surviving example of a Spider from the library of John
Davenport? Is a Spider in the spine the same as a "fly on the
wall"? Have any of your other readers purchased items with
'extras'?"
NUMISMATIC QUOTES
Dan continues: "I also purchased lot 1324 which included
Sheldon's 1949 "Early American Cents". In the sections I
have read so far there is a wealth of interesting quotations.
For example, on page 34 he talks about the practice of
dealers buying a coin based on one grade and reselling it at
a higher grade. "There you have a nice profit of several
hundred per cent, and the sucker gets the experience at no
extra charge. But if the basal value of the coin had been
known, and if the coin had been graded quantitatively, the
fishing would have been more difficult, and therefore more
fun. My object in writing this book then, is not to prevent
fishing but to make it more sporting."
On page 38 he comments on uncirculated coins: "Tons of
paper and barrels of ink have been used to tell prospective
buyers just how beautiful and desirable these almost
perfect coins are." There is another nice one at the top of
page 39.
I wonder if your subscribers might share quotes from other
publications that your readers would enjoy?"
DUST JACKETS
. In response to our earlier discussions of book jackets,
Steve Pellegrini writes; "Yes, I think it is ridiculous to add or
detract great amounts of money on the presence or absence
of a book's dustjacket, most especially on modern, retail
copies of standard editions.
For example: I'd recently been looking for a copy of the
Hibbler-Kappen 'So-called Dollars' book. One offer I
finally received was for an earlier edition in moderately used
condition: $60.00 w/o a dustjacket or $90.00 for one with
jacket. I thought that I just might be able to get by without
this particular dust jacket. -- This spreading phenomenon
seems just another example of the market's recent strategy
of adding qualifiers on top of qualifiers as a means of upping
the ante on rather common material -- books and coins.
APRIL ISSUE COLONIAL NEWSLETTER
Editor Gary Trudgen sends this note about the current issue
of The Colonial Newsletter:
"The April 2002 issue of The Colonial Newsletter (CNL)
has been published. It features a paper by Dr. Louis Jordan
on John Hull's Massachusetts Mint. Lou has greatly
broadened our understanding of this historic coinage by
investigating the technical operations of the mint which he
gleaned from an extant ledger of mintmaster John Hull and
also by studying the political and economic factors that
influenced the operation of the mint.
Lou's complete research on the Massachusetts Mint will be
published in a book by C4 (Colonial Coin Collectors Club)
later this year. Also included in this issue are reports by
John Kleeberg on Peter Rosa's colonial coin replicas and
Brian J. Danforth on a newly discovered reeded edge
Wood's Hibernia halfpenny. An Ask the Editors piece on the
August 30, 1787 Albany newspaper article titled "Beware
of Counterfeits" completes the issue.
The Colonial Newsletter (CNL) is a research journal
dedicated to the study of early American numismatics.
If you are not a CNL subscriber, first checkout some
sample CNL articles posted on the ANS website at
http://www.amnumsoc.org/cnl/. If you like what you see,
download the subscription form, fill it out and mail it to
the address provided on the form."
SCOTT COIN COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL QUESTIONS
Bob Leonard writes: "I'm still researching small California
gold for the 2nd edition of Breen-Gillio and have a question.
There is an item in the August, 1881 issue of Scott's The
Coin Collector's Journal on this subject. When this issue
was actually published? (Sometimes journals are quite late,
while magazines for newsstand sale have a "pull date" instead
of the actual month.) Do any copies survive with
postmarked mailing envelopes, or postmarked covers?"
[Now there's a good example of the research value of
numismatic ephemera! -Editor]
"Did any of Scott's contemporaries review the August,
1881 issue, and, if so, on what date? Are there any other
clues from the contents (I don't have the whole issue, just
copies of two pages.) Any help your readers can render
will be much appreciated."
[My set of the Scott CCJ is from the Nelson Thorson library.
It's bound, and there are no covers or mailing envelopes
present. I located nothing in the August or September
issues to indicate a publication or mailing date, although the
September issue states that the "auction sale of the Blake
collection mentioned in our last issue" had not been published
yet. -Editor]
SEND ALL THE BOOKS TO THE DUMP!
Regarding the item about the executors who threw away
a trove of research material only to change their mind
when the material was discovered at the dump, Granvyl G.
Hulse, Jr. writes:
"[The finders] should have gotten a second opinion. The
executor had no legal right to the material once it had been
dumped. I would have quietly told the executor's lawyers
to take me to court, that it would be covered extensively
by the newspaper, and that their stupidity would come out
in bold headlines for all the world to read."
1933 $20 SAINT-GAUDENS PUBLICITY
Stephen G Searle sends this link to a New York Times
article about the upcoming auction of the infamous
1933 Double Eagle:
"It is a $20 gold piece from 1933 that was ordered
destroyed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Stolen
from the United States Mint, it was exported for a king
after the government committed the bumble of all bumbles,
was contested in an interminable legal donnybrook,
and even came close to being lost in the destruction of the
World Trade Center.
It is the 1933 double eagle, and it could fetch a record
price for any coin when it is auctioned in July for an
estimated $4 million to $6 million."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/19/nyregion/19COIN.html
Stephen adds: "By the way, there is a HUGE color photo
of the coin on the front page of the Metro section of the print
version of the NY Times today (Friday 19 April 2002). It
takes up about half of the space above the fold."
PRESERVATION PRODUCT
Chet Dera, who signs his note "Loyal Reader", writes:
"My wife found out about this stuff while watching the
Do It Yourself channel. The website is http://www.ptlp.com/.
The items below from are their FAQ pages:
"Archival Mist preserves and protects all forms of paper-
based materials. It deposits a safe, non-toxic alkaline buffer
into the structure of the paper. This buffer material neutralizes
acids that can rapidly weaken the paper and cause it to
become brittle.
The buffer materials are microscopic particles of an alkaline
compound (magnesium oxide). The particles are dispersed and
suspended in an inert liquid material (a blend of non-toxic,
fluorinated materials). When the product is sprayed on paper,
the buffer particles blend with the paper structure. The inert
liquid simply evaporates. Because the formula contains no
water, the liquid does not make the paper wet and it will not
cockle or stiffen from the application. The buffer particles
readily absorb and neutralize the acids in paper. The material
continues to absorb acid over the life of the paper. This is a
permanent treatment for the life of the paper."
[Is anyone out there familiar with this product? -Editor]
VAN LOON TRANSLATION
Found while looking for other things in book dealer inventories,
I came across a listing for the following interesting item:
"Contemporary Numismatics" by Robert Turfboer
"This book, now available for the first time in an English
translation, was published in Dutch in 1732 by lawyer Gerard
van Loon. His aim was to give the reader a pleasant and
informative tour of the history of coins and medals and the
result is an astonishing, entertaining and surprisingly modern
numismatic work. The format, layout and plates of this English
translation follow closely those of the original edition.
This translation opens up to modern readers of all kinds the
fascinating thoughts and advice of a numismatist, historian
and philosopher who lived and wrote more than a quarter
of a millennium ago."
I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Turfboer over lunch
one afternoon with the late James Groninger, a local
collector who corresponded with Turfboer. At the time,
he was still working on the translation, and he shared a
few passages with us. It was indeed a fascinating text.
Are any of our readers familiar with this book? If so,
would you care to share your thoughts with us?
MINT DIRECTOR HENRIETTA FORE
Also found while looking for other things is this article
from the Las Vegas Review-Journal (February 19, 2002)
about Nevada native and current mint director Henrietta
Holsman Fore.
"She became the highest-ranking Nevadan in the new Bush
administration on Aug. 7, when she was sworn in as Mint
director.
Fore said she was working on the morning of Sept. 11
when she learned about the East Coast terrorist attacks.
"In the beginning, it was just disbelief," she said. Then, Fore
said, she and her staff started focusing on how to protect the
nation's mints.
"You just worked through the day being sad but being
purposeful at the same time, because you didn't know what
was going to happen next," she said.
Fore said the Mint has its own police force that is considered
a world-class leader in guarding assets. In addition to
guarding the nation's four mints and the U.S. Bullion
Depository in Fort Knox, Ky., the police force helps other
countries preserve and protect their assets, she said."
"Fore, the owner of a North Las Vegas wire and metals
company, said her background in both manufacturing and
foreign affairs has served her well in the new position.
Although Fore never aspired to become Mint director, she
said she considers herself lucky to have the job. "It is such
an honor," she said. "You're working for the people."
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Feb-19-Tue-2002/news/18131413.html
EVERYTHING IS FOR SALE. EXCEPT THAT. AND THAT, AND THAT, AND THAT ...
Joel Orosz sends the following item clipped from News of
the Weird (http://www.NewsoftheWeird.com/). It was
filed under the "Unclear on the Concept" category:
"Carol Urness, recently retired University of Minnesota
librarian, opened a used-book store in February in St.
Anthony, Minn., consisting of about 1,000 books from
her own collection, but told a Minneapolis Star Tribune
reporter that often she refuses to sell a book on the shelf
because she can't stand to part with it.
"The first day, a woman walked in and bought three
books," she said, "and I about had a stroke." "This
bookstore is hard to find," she added, "and once you
get here, it's almost impossible to buy anything."
[Star Tribune, 3-1-02]"
FEATURED WEB SITE
This week's featured web site is the Kernunnos
Celtic numismatic site:
http://kernunnos.com/Home.shtml
Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society

Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the
Numismatic Bibliomania Society.

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